The present invention is directed toward a combined oxygen tank key, glass breaker and bottle opener and more particularly toward an oxygen tank key that makes it easier for an operator to turn a tank on and off and to disconnect the regulator from the tank when desired and which can also function to break glass windows in an emergency. The tool also includes a bottle opener.
Portable oxygen tanks are frequently used by numerous patients having a variety of medical conditions that require them to supplement their oxygen intake. Under some situations, the tanks are left on for long periods of time. In other situations, the tanks must be turned on and off with considerable frequency. It is also common for emergency medical technicians and other first responders to administer oxygen to patients through the use of portable oxygen tanks.
Oxygen tanks must, of course, be turned on when needed and off when not. For this purpose, they are provided with a conventional valve which is opened by rotating the same counterclockwise and is closed by rotating the valve clockwise. In some cases, the valve stem of an oxygen tank is provided with an attached handle or the like to aid in rotating the valve into its open or closed position. Most tanks, however, do not include a handle. This is done to prevent someone from inadvertently turning the tank on when not needed and exhausting the oxygen or inadvertently turning the tank off when it is needed.
In lieu of an attached handle, most oxygen tanks are opened and closed through the use of a wrench or key that can be temporarily applied to the rectangularly shaped top of the valve stem. Conventional keys currently available are made from thin cast or sheet metal or the like that include a rectangularly shaped opening therein that is adapted to cooperate with the top of the valve stem. Such keys are useful for closing a valve but are frequently difficult to use when trying to open the same particularly if the valve had been closed too tightly. When using a conventional key, the operator's hand must engage the narrow side edge of the key. This can be uncomfortable and frequently can become painful, particularly after numerous operations. One form of a prior art conventional key is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,144 that issued in 1989 to Kaniaris.
As is also well known, oxygen from a tank must first pass through a regulator before being used by a patient. Such regulators are attached to the tank by clockwise rotating a thumb screw or lever connected to a screw thread that clamps the regulator into place. The regulator is removed by rotating the lever in the counterclockwise direction. Sometimes the clamp is so tight that it is difficult to rotate the same. When this occurs, a wrench or other tool must be used. Conventional oxygen keys are of little use for this purpose as they are designed solely to aid in turning the valve stem of an oxygen tank on and off. They cannot engage or turn a regulator lever. While the Kaniaris patented device referred to above suggests that it can be used for this purpose, it does not appear to provide the mechanical advantage that may be needed to loosen a regulator clamp that has been over tightened. Furthermore, the Kaniaris device can damage the thumb screw, making the unit inoperable, because pressure is applied to the thumb screw at an acute point of the tool, instead of at a mated surface.
The oxygen tank keys disclosed in Applicant's pending application Ser. No. 12/006,174, filed Dec. 31, 2007, and in Applicant's Design Patent Nos. D611,786; D611,787 and D621,674 help substantially to solve the foregoing problems. (The entire disclosures of the prior application and of each of the design patents are incorporated herein by reference.) The prior application and patents do not, however, address other problems faced by emergency personnel arriving at car crashes or house fires or the like. More particularly, it often becomes necessary to break the window glass of a car or house in order to gain access to the interior thereof. Tools such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,491,898; 6,199,997 and 6,816,064 have been developed to break glass. However, the use of such tools would require the emergency personnel to carry an additional tool.
A need, therefore, exists for a tool that is easy and comfortable to use for turning an oxygen tank on and off, which can be used to help attach or detach a regulator to or from a tank and which can be used to break window glass.